Redemption
by Gasanechi
Summary: After losing everyone, Harry knew that he was no longer needed and now wants to rest. What he didn't expect was for him to be transported into another world. HP/Naruto crossover.
1. The End of the Beginning

**Redemption**

**Summary:** After losing everyone, Harry knew that he was no longer needed and now wants to rest. What he didn't expect was for him to be transported into another world. HP/Naruto crossover.

* * *

**…R…**

* * *

A green eyed man gazed at the destruction around him, his soulless eyes taking all the effects that the war had done to the place. Thousands of decaying bodies littered the grounds; nobody was left except for him.

He could still hear the screams of the fallen as they were being tortured; the yells of plea of the women and the cries of their comrades as they had attempted to save the ones that were in danger. It would be forever sealed in his mind of how their deaths came to be because he was there.

He helplessly watched them as they were tortured and killed.

The man casted a glance to his far left and gazed at the destruction of what he once called home because if one didn't know what it was then it would be easily mistaken as a pile of rubble, for once standing there was the majestic castle of Hogwarts.

..

His mind flittered back on what happened earlier that day…

..

Hogwarts was considered as the safest place in the world since the rise of Lord Voldemort.

It was where the most powerful witches and wizards of the light resided, not to mention the fact that Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter were thrown into the mix. Obviously, the parents eagerly sent their children there in hopes of protecting them. However, there were those who kept their family together in fear of losing the lives of their loved ones and simply settled for protecting the children on their own.

That was the first mistake that they had made.

The moment the dark side caught wind of this, they immediately went after those families and assassinated them in cold blood. A captured Death Eater later confessed that the Dark Lord and other members of the Inner Circle thought that the people were getting too cocky and full of themselves to even think that the fools could handle them. Some fought back and actually succeeded in protecting their loved ones. Nevertheless, it was all for none, those survivors were eventually hunted down and killed in the worst case scenario.

Unfortunately for those people who chose Hogwarts, they didn't even consider the fact that it was the most dangerous place as it was the safest. Hogwarts was the one that served as the beacon of hope to the people and once it's wiped out, public morale would be lost then all of the defenses would ultimately collapse. Apparently, Tom knew that, he was a true snake that patiently waited for the right moment to strike.

That moment came when they were all unprepared.

At that time Harry, along with a few order members, was searching for the last Horcrux. They had received information about its whereabouts from one of their spies. On the other hand, Dumbledore, after making sure that there was enough protection around the school, went to the Ministry of Magic to attend a conference concerning the alliance of the vampires and the werewolves.

The meeting turned out to be a trap in hopes of capturing the old man. Even with a total of fifty Death Eaters, judging from the body count later on, that had tried to bring the old man down; they were still no match for his arcane power. Though it sure had taken its toll.

But that was Tom's plan all along.

That snake knew that Albus would not be taken down so easily.

The headmaster immediately returned to Hogwarts and found the horrifying devastation of the place that he had sworn to protect. The wards were ripped to shreds and the school was under attack. However, paying no mind to his deep bone exhaustion and diminished magical reserves, Albus valiantly fought side by side with the other protectors of the light that were defending the students…

..

He shook his head, trying not to think about the events that came after. True, he finally defeated Voldemort and kicked the bastard's ass to kingdom come but that was achieved at too high a price. The invaluable lives of his family, friends and millions of innocent people.

Now, he was alone.

He had failed.

He had lost everyone he had loved and cared in this godforsaken war. He had lost them all in the hands of a madman. There was no reason for him to live any longer, for he had already accomplished his mission.

His goal.

His obligation.

Raising his wand and pointing it to himself, he chanted the words that had taken the lives of his parents and countless others, the words that were forbidden but somewhat comforting, the words that was responsible for the loss of one great wizard never to be seen again…

..

_"Avada Kedavra"_

..

…Harry Potter was no more…

..

* * *

…**R…**

* * *

An ominous feeling overcame the people of Konoha, well; the shinobi felt it at least. The ninja corps was on high alert because they had felt that something was coming, something big.

Their battle-honed senses were going haywire, alerting them to an event that was sure to come. It was like the calm before the storm.

On the other hand, the civilians just went on their daily routines like nothing was wrong, some of them felt the tense atmosphere but they had quickly dismissed it because it's common nowadays. After all, attack of the Kyuubi happened only a year ago.

The shinobi, ranking from chuunin and up, were called by the Hokage to discuss the current situation at hand.

"Hokage-sama, we found no disturbances in the Northern border of the country." An Anbu captain reported.

"The same can be said with the East and West sides Hokage-sama." Another reported.

"The South?" asked Sandaime.

"Nothing was out of the ordinary, except for a few rouge ninja; we had quickly dealt the situation."

Silence reigned.

"What is the meaning of this Sarutobi? Do you think the other countries are planning an invasion?" asked one of the elders, worriedly.

"It is possible, especially with the Kyuubi attacking us a year ago. Our village has yet to recover from the incident and I truly doubt that an invasion had not crossed their minds." Said Sandaime.

Most of the ninja gathered turned their expressions from one of worry to one of loathing at the mention of the Kyuubi. Many of them had lost their family and comrades to that demon. They didn't know what possessed the old man by protecting the demon child because in their opinion, that monster should be killed. Unfortunately for them, the Sandaime passed a law that prevented them from doing that.

While most of those gathered were lost in their thoughts of hatred, some were downright disgusted at the actions of the others for even thinking that a mere innocent child could be a demon, but those shinobi were only a few compared to the countless of other ninja that hated the child, literally, they were easily overruled.

The Hokage just sighed, disappointed by the actions of his men. Sure, he had passed a law to protect the boy but that did not mean that the villagers wouldn't abuse him. He couldn't help him more than that because the blasted council would just prevent him and accuse him of playing favorites, with a demon child no less. Really, if it weren't for the fact that the council was so corrupt that you could easily mistake them as the devil himself, he would have left, resigned from being a Hokage and just raise and protect the child on his own. Clearing those thoughts in his mind, he turned to the matter at hand.

He cleared his throat, instantly gaining the attention of the others.

"Jiraiya, have you gathered any information regarding any suspicious activities from the other countries?" asked Sandaime.

"None so far, but I assure you that Sand, Mist and Cloud are on our side, though I would advise you to be careful if you're in Rock and Grass territory, they are not… the most friendly of people, if I may say so myself." Said Jiraiya, uncommonly serious, that even those who had some doubt to what was happening, immediately believed that there was something wrong. Jiraiya was known to be a joker and a super-pervert at that, being serious is definitely not in his category.

"Even so-"

**_BAM!_**

The window bursted open due to the strong winds that was definitely not there a while ago.

They all rushed out to the streets to see what the hell was happening.

Dark, forbidding clouds began to form and lightning flashed through the now darkened sky every now and then, the gusts of wind were so strong that it even lifted a few billboards and carts along the road, the people were screaming for their lives as they desperately tried to find shelter.

In short, it was pandemonium.

Then suddenly, they felt a powerful force so raw, a force so enormously strong that even the Hokage himself felt frightened, and what was worse was that it was growing even more by the second. In the far end of the border, past the towering walls that surrounded the village of Konoha, they saw a beam of light rapidly coming down from the sky before it hit the ground below it.

As the unknown light grew in diameter, so did the force itself, forcing most to their knees as their bodies could not handle the pressure. It even came to the point where they had no doubt that the other countries were feeling the effects of it. The ground shook tremendously as shockwaves upon shockwaves emitted from the light, a massive pressure suddenly surged forward breaking all the windows and glasses it hit.

The shinobi instinctively protected the civilians from the flying debris and shards. Immediately, they proceeded to escort the citizens into any safe shelter found in the vicinity.

This phenomenon maybe even worse than the Kyuubi and the civilians seemed to notice it, as most of them were almost crying and screaming hysterically in fear of what was about to come. However, as if sensing the sheer panic that it had caused, a calming feeling washed upon the masses, and by then, they knew that whoever produced that godlike power did not mean any harm. The beam of light slowly receded, it became thinner and thinner until it faded entirely along with that enormous pressure but the calming sensation somehow stayed.

The Hokage dispatched dozens of Anbu troops to scout the perimeters where the beam of light had hit while the others helped the villagers by securing the protection of the village and aiding those that were injured.

When the Anbu returned, one of the captains stepped forward holding what suspiciously looked like a bundle.

"We found this in the center of the site." the Anbu captain reported, seemingly awed at something.

Confused, the Hokage peered down and caught his breath at the innocent sight that will be forever imprinted in his mind. It was a baby, a boy if he was not mistaken, with soft tufts of silky black hair, lips so red that it was akin to a freshly spilt blood and skin as white and gentle as snow.

Then there was something he would have missed if he hadn't been so close to the baby, it was something that would trigger his curiosity for years to come, something that he would want to find out from where it came from because for the life of him, he was quite certain, very much so in fact, that other infants does not have what this infant was currently sporting.

..

A lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

..

* * *

…**R…**

* * *

The Hokage shuddered. He was currently surrounded by these monstrous things that even Kami-sama himself will hesitate to face. For they are pure evil, they show no mercy, and what's worse was that they kept on piling and piling up, eventually sentencing the poor old man to the worst kind of punishment that a person could ever receive, the downfall of all the other Kage. Paperwork…

He swore that whoever said 'with great power comes great responsibility' will die a very painful death or what's even better was just to massacre half of the council who just can't stop bothering him, unfortunately, that can't be done.

He faced the said monstrosity once again and began working, praying that he will get out of here unscathed for he still had a long life to live and a loving family to return to. He still remembered what caused these little devils to come out of their hiding place…

**-Flashback-**

_After the incident, the ninja troops helped the people fix their houses and buildings for any damages, the medic-nins continued on their work in tending the injured who had been hit by flying debris. The Sandaime had been called for a council meeting. He swore that the council elders oppose him in his every decision just for the sake of it, even if said choices has a sound reason behind it. Now mind you, not all members in the council were evil, there were some who sided with the council but there was also a select few who sided with the Hokage and these were the clan leaders. Well, for the most part._

_When he arrived, the whole council was already there, so pulling himself together and holding the bundle closer to him, he began the meeting._

_From the confused looks he was getting, he was now sure where to start, after all it wasn't everyday that you see the Hokage standing there holding a baby in the middle of a crisis._

_"I guess you all first want to know where I got this baby from huh?" said Sandaime_

_"You got that right," Said Jiraiya, wriggling his brows, a perverted blush rising in his cheeks. "I didn't know you still got it in you, old man!"_

_"Jiraiya, I do suggest you keep your mouth shut if you don't want anything to happen to it." Said a smiling Sandaime, a vein popping out in his head, in short, it was a scary sight._

_Of course, even Jiraiya had enough sense to back off. Unfortunately for him, Tsunade got to him first._

_"Jiraiya no BAKA!" yelled Tsunade, punching Jiraiya through the roof, literally._

_Sandaime almost cried at the damage that had been done, meaning, more little monsters –cough-_paperwork_-cough- will appear while most of the other men there just decided to stay quiet, afraid that they will be the next in line to go to heaven, they didn't want to see god yet._

_Sandaime sighed. This will be a long day…_

_After getting everything back to order, they council discussed the recent event that had happened. Sandaime explained to them where they found the baby, the other members were stunned at the revelations but that was nothing compared to the time when the Hokage revealed his temporary charge to them. Heck, most of them were even gaping while the others had enough sense to just stare in wonder at the child, and all for good reason._

_There was something rather peculiar about the child. He just couldn't point out what it was._

_"Hokage-sama, if the child was found in that exact clearing where the light had hit, do you think he was the one responsible for all of this." Asked Nara Shikaku, not even once taking his calculating eyes off the child._

_Shocked and disbelief mutterings ran around the crowd but they couldn't help but agree with the Nara, after all, who would be insane enough to put a child in the middle of that situation, that was if they could even get close to the site, which was highly improbable, and there was also no other explanation that they could think of for the cause of that particular event._

_Eventually, they came to the part where the child should stay. Without delay, the clan leaders tried to gain guardianship over the boy by stating that they would care for him and provide him with all the necessary needs a child should get. Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuuga Hiashi, surprisingly enough considering their silent nature, were more vocal in this issue than the other clan leaders, but the Hokage wasn't fooled. He knew that they were only doing these because of the amount of power that the child possessed, that's why he brought the discussion down by stating that he will be the one who will decide where the child stays but first he will need to think it over._

_The topic began again about the damages done to the village, about how many people were injured and if the other hidden villages felt it too._

**-End of Flashback-**

Unsurprisingly, messengers from other countries began arriving the following day, and the news about the child spread like wildfire around the village, meaning, more paperwork for the poor old Hokage.

In the end, most of them were actually convinced that the child was sent by the gods and was there to protect them. Even though there were still some doubts, not all were inclined to believe in supernatural occurrences, they couldn't avoid the fact of how the child came to be and they could also sense that there's more to the boy than meets the eye. From that day on, the masses started to treat the child as if he was some sort of hero and even like a high ranking noble.

..

_If only if they could do the same thing to Naruto._

..

Sarutobi sighed tiredly, rubbing his temple in an attempt to ward off the incoming migraine.

After a moment of silence, leaving all the troubles and the paperwork behind, he made up his mind.

..

He knew exactly what he had to do.

..

* * *

**A/N:** First of all, I revamped the story. Generally, it will still have the same plot, so no worries; I'm just editing it because of all the grammatical errors of the original chapters. Let's just say that it made me cringe. However, I will be adding little bits and pieces here and there, so watch out for it.

**~ Gasanechi**


	2. What's In A Name

**Redemption**

**Summary:** After losing everyone, Harry knew that he was no longer needed and now wants to rest. What he didn't expect was for him to be transported into another world. HP/Naruto crossover.

* * *

**…R…**

* * *

_A man gazed down at the bundle in front of him._

_Moments passed in silence as he contemplated his next course of action._

_Hesitantly, he raised his hand, reaching toward the bundle. His hand stopped just a couple of inches short from its destination._

"_He won't bite."_

_The man glanced at the one who spoke._

"_Kaoru."_

"_Huh." Kaoru commented, eyes filled with amusement. "I'd never thought I'd see the day the Great Shindeiru Saieki shaking at the mere presence of a child."_

"_I'm not shaking." frowned Saieki._

_Kaoru just knowingly smiled at him, before looking down at the bundle safely ensconced in his arms. He gently caressed the soft cheeks of the baby boy, all the while being careful not to hurt him or bring him any discomfort._

_The brown-haired man traced the features of the child, from his chubby cheeks that was flushed in a healthy manner; soft, tiny lips that was parted ever so slightly; to his cute, button nose where his hand proceeded its trace up to the edge of the boy's forehead, where a most peculiar mark rested._

"_What do you think did this?" Kaoru asked, softly. It wouldn't do to wake this adorable little thing up._

"_Who knows?" replied Saieki, his eyes never leaving the bundle. "We don't even know where the boy came from in the first place."_

"_When are you planning to give him a name, anyway?" sighed Kaoru. "'This Boy', 'That Boy', 'The Boy', you're always saying that, won't it be less bothersome if you just give him a name already?"_

"_It's not that simple."_

_.._

"_But it is, Saieki."_

"_You don't understand."_

_.._

"_What are you afraid of?"_

_Saieki just gave the man a questioning look._

"_What are you afraid of?" repeated Kaoru, his soft gaze at the boy as he resumed his gentle caress._

"_I'm not afraid of anything."_

"_Don't lie."_

"_I'm not-"_

"_Are you afraid that giving this child a name will make it more permanent?"_

_Any rebuttal formed in Saieki's lips immediately vanished as his friend threw that question. Kaoru always seemed to know the right words to shut Saieki up._

"_If you are, then don't be." Kaoru lightly parted the strands of dark hair that partially hid the curious scar on the boy's forehead, before leaning down to lightly kiss the mark. "Because it already is."_

* * *

…**R…**

* * *

It had been years since the incident but the people of Konoha never forgot what happened that day. They consider that event as a holy one, one that will change the course of history forever.

The baby that was found in the clearing or as the people loved to say, "Godsent", was named Shindeiru Yuki. He was adopted by the Shindeiru Clan by the order of the Sandaime Hokage four years ago.

The Shindeiru Family was considered to be one of the most powerful clans that currently resided in the hidden village Konoha. They were also considered as one of the noble clans of Konoha due to the first Shindeiru that helped build and protect the village alongside the Shodaime Hokage.

Over the generations, the Shindeiru helped defend the village from certain dangers, they either range from Gennin to Anbu level and, sometimes, even Hokage level and higher, this was due to their bloodline that enabled the user to manipulate the four major elements: Fire, Water, Earth and Wind.

Although they could manipulate the elements to their will that did not mean that they didn't encounter tribulations with it. Only a select few could reach the extent of their bloodline's true potential. Even though the clan is small in number, it did not make them any less formidable in the battlefield; this was all made possible by the coveted bloodline that they have or better yet known as the Zetsuro.

The use of the Zetsuro required the host to spend a huge amount of chakra and, fortunately for them, the clan acquired their larger than normal chakra pathways as a hereditary trait. The dangers in using said bloodline remained at the forefront of the minds of all the clan members, even one mistake on their part could lead to their demise.

The Zetsuro was a double-edged sword, it will grant you great powers by bending the elements to the host's will but in return it will consume vast amounts of chakra that, if not monitored correctly, could burn the chakra coils of the host and ultimately kill them.

Even through all of these, these facts were not the ones that made them one of the greatest clan that the shinobi world had ever seen but rather, it was their ability to summon. True, many other ninja had this kind of ability but their summons were definitely different compared to the Shu summon, it's because the Shu summons were without a doubt more powerful than them. The summons didn't just poof out of existence once they were hit, unlike the normal ones, and they have their own affiliated elements so that if an opponent ever tried to attack them with the same element then they had just as well signed their own death wish. Not only will the attacks have absolutely no effect on them but also the attacks were making them much stronger with every hit.

However, that didn't mean that the Shu summons didn't have a weakness, just by hitting them with their opposing element could place them at a disadvantage. However, that can only be done if one could get past through their absolute defense. Only a couple of people were recorded to have defeated a Shu summon and lived to tell the tale.

Only a few members of the Shindeiru clan could actually fight side by side with a Shu summon. The summoners weren't the ones that choose their summons, the summons were the ones that choose its own master. The summons didn't really care if the person that they chose was weak or strong, they only opt for the ones who were worthy enough to be their summoner. They had to have a pure heart and a strong sense of justice in order to protect those who are in need.

As the years passed, only very few summoners were chosen and they somewhat became the guardians of the village even if Konoha had hundreds of ninja troops, and even the Uchiha police, for that kind of stuff. But through the times, the summons had slowly cut down their connections to the clan for they couldn't find anyone worthy enough to take the position as their summoner.

The clan slowly became corrupted and greedy; most of them were blinded by the glory of being part of the renowned clan, even though some of them didn't even do anything to contribute to it. They became far too arrogant and selfish that it came to the point where the clan almost became divided.

Nowadays, Shu summons rarely even choose a master, except for the current clan leader, and a handful of other clan members, the last person that was initiated to become a full-fledged summoner happened four decades ago.

Fortunately, the current clan leader, Shindeiru Saieki has a good heart and, although strict and firm in regards to rules and conduct, he was not blinded or corrupted by the glory of his position. Together with his summon, the legendary Behemoth, they were an invincible pair as they shared a great bond that every other summoners in the past have in common with their respective summons.

The villagers knew all of this as common knowledge. Some had heard the tales from their great grand ancestors that was eventually passed down to their generation, or, if they were lucky enough, saw a Shindeiru together with their respective summons in action. But there's something the villagers and even most of the clan members either didn't know about or just brushed it away as a mere myth, and that was the legend of the Great Summoner...

* * *

…**R…**

* * *

_Two months had passed since that fateful event._

_Two months had passed since the Sandaime ordered him to take The Boy._

_Two months had passed since his life had changed._

_Whether if it's for the better or for the worst?_

_He didn't know._

_The Boy was a quiet child, he seldom cried, if not at all._

_Saieki didn't know if that was normal or not, considering he didn't have a child of his own._

'_This Boy, That Boy, The Boy.'_

_Those words continued to ring through his mind even after all the weeks that had passed by._

_Saieki knew that Kaoru was right._

_Kaoru was right in many things, and this situation wasn't any different than the others._

_Yet, Saieki couldn't bring himself to accept him._

_He couldn't bring himself to accept The Boy that was so suddenly thrust into his life._

_There were many others who would gladly take care of The Boy. He knew for a fact that the other clan leaders competed for the guardianship of this particular child. It wasn't much of a surprise that the Hyuuga and the Uchiha were also vocal in this subject. Even after it was decided that the Shindeiru Clan would be the one to take care of the child, the other clans still didn't stop their pursuit and even clamored to the Hokage for a change of guardianship._

_For his part, Saieki didn't agree or disagree with the change of guardianship issue. He held no interest in taking care of the child, and he also thought that it would actually benefit The Boy if his guardian was changed. After all, most clan leaders vying for guardianship responsibilities already had experience in child-rearing. In a logical sense, they would be much better suited in taking care of The Boy._

_However, The Boy was entrusted to him by his Hokage. And Saieki was nothing but loyal to the Hokage._

_Basically, he was torn between Loyalty and Responsibility._

_Saieki was shaken out of his thoughts as he heard a shuffling noise._

_He watched as The Boy slowly squirmed under his blanket as he was pulled from his slumber. The Boy's lashes fluttered ever so slightly before bleary emerald eyes gradually opened to take on the world._

_Saieki felt his breath stop as those piercing emerald eyes glanced directly at him._

_That gaze rooted him in place._

_It was like it could see right through his soul._

_But it couldn't be,… right?_

* * *

…**R…**

* * *

Another fine day started, a peaceful atmosphere permeated Konoha to its usual glory, the villagers continued their daily routines and it looked like nothing could disrupt this peaceful scenery even if they tried to. That's what the villagers thought but, unfortunately, that was not going to happen.

"Yuki-sama!"

The servants were panicking now, which was highly unusual since nothing could seem to destroy their impeccable calm nature, they didn't know what to do and they were now losing their cool.

Okay scratch that, they already lost their cool ages ago, because something bad had happened.

Something really bad that they already considered it as a nightmare.

Something really _really_ bad that they already dug up their own graves.

Something really _really_ _really_ bad that they are now wailing for their mommies. And they're not even the least bit ashamed to share that fact if it meant that it could somehow salvage their lives.

For that something just happened to be the one and the only son of one of the most powerful man that rivaled the power of the Hokage, that was never defeated when together with his summon, that immediately goes to berserk mode whenever his precious son was in danger and that was probably walking home now because the council meeting was probably already finished, and as you have guessed by now that's the infamous Shindeiru Saieki and the other was "Yuki-sama!" as that servant was kind enough to supply.

"Yuki-sama!"

"Please come out!"

"Have mercy on us!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Kaa-chan!"

If the servants hadn't been in so much panic that they were running around like a bunch of headless chicken then they would have noticed that there was someone giggling behind the bushes or, to think of it, even if they did notice then they would probably thought that the bush itself was giggling at their predicament and realize that they had already snapped, as ridiculous as it may seem.

But who could stay sane anyway? Especially, if _that_ man goes to berserk mode when he sensed that his son was in danger or something of the like. Hell, if they didn't know any better, they would have been convinced that the man had six senses.

While the helpers were panicking, a young boy around about five years old was watching the scenario, snickering all the while. He wore a silky white robe with silver and white trims intertwining at the cuffs and hems, black boots and a flowing gray cloak. The boy slowly slid out of his hiding place and quickly dashed outside the gate, hoping that nobody saw him.

He really didn't want to cause distress to anyone but he just wanted to taste freedom once in awhile, especially after being cooped up at the compound for, what?, the rest of his (short) life? He had done nothing but study, train, eat and sleep. He craved for something more, he knew that he shouldn't think like this because it's improper and unkind, and as such, felt ashamed for his train of thoughts. Ever since he could remember, proper manners were being drilled into his mind by his mentors.

At first, he accepted the things that he had to do without question or doubt, like manners, math, logic, politics, science and so much more. He was also being taught the basics of chakra and was training to control it; he found it all fascinating whenever he learned something new. It was a plus that all the things that he had learned was absorbed to his mind like a sponge, his mentors were fascinated at this revelation and said that he had photographic memory, whatever that was.

Yuki didn't complain and question why he must learn all of these. He knew that it's for his own good and that it will definitely benefit him in the future, but, lately, due to a certain event where he saw some of his relatives going outside the compound, thoughts of what it was like to just do that revolved around his mind.

He had always brushed these thoughts away and just continued studying to keep himself busy, knowing the futility of the situation. Nevertheless, there was that empty feeling that settled on his chest. No one took the time to enlighten him as to why he was kept inside the compound. He was tired and sick of it. Curiosity burned at him of what it was like to be outside of these suffocating walls.

That was why he found himself running to god knows where until he's already far from the Shindeiru compound. It was only a matter of time until the guards were alerted to his sudden disappearance and send search patrols throughout the village. He's going to enjoy every moment of it while he can.

Looking around, Yuki quickly hid his face under the hood of his cloak, hoping beyond hope that he will not be recognized, he still had no idea why so many people knew him, but that's the least of his concerns now, so he just concentrated on being as inconspicuous as possible.

He strolled down the path, never taking his eyes off the sights to see, like the stores that sell different kinds of trinkets, salesmen announcing their new merchandise, women gossiping to each other and children who were running around, chasing each other. This outside world was so interesting that he didn't even notice that he had arrived at what looks like a place of some sorts where many children were gathered and doing some kind of activity, like the kid who was currently hiding until the other kid finds him, it just doesn't make any sense to him.

..

_I mean, what's the point in hiding yourself if someone is looking for you?_

..

He thought, bewildered.

..

_At least I have a reason why I hid from those servants._

_.._

Shaking his head at this conundrum, his dismissed it and continued to stroll around until he found a secluded area. He stopped for a short while and let out a sigh of relaxation as a breeze brush past him. His inky black hair slightly billowed around his face as it did.

Suddenly, the comfortable silence was shattered as someone cried out in pain.

Yuki turned to the direction of the sound and noticed a group of kids around his age huddling around something. Curious, he walked closer to see what was happening.

What he saw shocked him beyond belief.

Yuki saw a boy being beaten helplessly by the kids who were grinning so maliciously. The barbaric display of cruelty made him so thoroughly disgusted, but what really triggered his anger was the sight of the crying boy, whose face was mixed with tears and blood.

Blinded with rage, Yuki felt something foreign tingling through his veins. His entire body began to tremble as an unknown force threatened to burst out of him.

"ENOUGH!" he bellowed, as he outstretched his hand towards the ones responsible for the boy's misery, the gang sported a shocked look before they were violently blasted away from the boy. They landed quite harshly several yards away from their victim.

Yuki thought that he heard a few crunching sounds followed by yelps and cries of pain, but he had no care for them. They deserved those injuries, if not more.

Apparently, the gang was so stunned and bewildered on what they had just experienced that they were fixated on their spot for just a moment. And when they got a hold of their minds and accumulated on what actually happened, they suddenly ran, screaming bloody murder. Yuki would really find it rather funny if not for the current situation at hand.

He turned around to face the fallen boy, who was now looking at him with shock and awe, and even though the boy was covered with numerous cuts and bruises that was smeared in blood, Yuki still saw the golden hair that glinted through the touch of the sun, the faint whisker marks on his cheeks and the tear-stained, blue eyes like the color of the sky itself. All in all, he couldn't dare to think that someone could ever hurt this boy, or hurt anyone for that matter.

In turn, while Yuki was observing the blonde, the boy did the same thing. Though the boy's shock had now slightly diminished, his awe just greatly increased, having the hood of the boy's cape down from the earlier event, he now saw the face of the other boy who had saved him from the mob. The other boy had black silky hair, and piercing emerald eyes not unlike the color of the forest. Somehow, he felt calm being near this green-eyed boy.

Having gotten over his own shock, Yuki concernedly looked over the boy's beaten body.

"Are you alright?" asked Yuki, and without any further thought, he held out his hand to the boy.

"U-uh…" the boy, feeling his own cheeks getting hot from the embarrassment that consumed him. Naruto hesitated for a moment before shyly accepting the proffered hand, for some unknown reason, he felt that he could trust this boy.

Yuki helped the boy get up but the blonde stumbled on his feet and yelped in pain as he put pressure on his injured foot.

Yuki concernedly looked at the boy, he noticed that the boy's foot was twisted in an unnatural angle, so he helped him sit down on a nearby bench and kneeled down in front of him, carefully inspecting the injured foot.

"Itai-!... Y-you don't have to…" the boy quietly stuttered, wincing in pain, but Yuki ignored him and continued inspecting the foot.

"You're hurt, and I'm here to help you, so keep quiet for awhile."

Not really knowing what to do, he gathered all the things that he learned about healing and first aid, and since he never really paid any attention to those particular subjects and neither had the equipment to do those tasks, he hopelessly just sat there on the ground, doing his own way of 'brainstorming'.

For some reason, he remembered the events that transpired just a moment ago, when he felt a foreign sensation running through his veins that was _probably_ responsible for blasting the mob away. He wondered what caused that power to be summoned forth but he just brushed the thought away at the moment, he had more urgent things to do right now.

Without further ado, he gently grasped the boy's broken foot, so as not to hurt him, and tried to summon the power again but it did not come. He still wasn't sure if this foreign power could help him heal the boy but he couldn't think of anything else.

Huffing, Yuki tried again and again to summon the power but still to no avail, so he tried hard to remember what had happened earlier that day, little by little.

As he did this, Naruto couldn't help but stare at the strange boy in front of him, all the while wondering if he could sneak out of this situation.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" asked Naruto, warily.

"Shush!" was the irritated reply.

The blonde just sweat-dropped in response, fearing for his safety more than anything else, so he opted to shut up for the moment.

It wouldn't do to enrage someone who could blast mobs here and there after all.

Meanwhile, Yuki remembered that he unconsciously drew the power out through his rage.

..

_Perhaps_, _the power had something to do with strong emotions?_

..

Yuki thought, confusedly.

He also remembered the tingling sensation that he had experienced, something that apparently came inside him.

He tried his best by recalling the things that had happened to him and slowly relaying it out by carefully calling forth a tiny bit of the power while not wavering in concentration. At first, he felt nothing out of the ordinary, but after a moment, he felt a pull of some kind inside of him. He grasped the thread that was connected to it and held it tightly while carefully pulling at it. Slowly, the power flowed out of his hands and it headed directly towards the boy's foot.

Yuki willed with all his might to heal the boy. His concentration didn't waver, the beads of sweat that trickled at the side of his temple served as proof of his inner struggle.

Slowly but surely, the bruises and the inflamed injury proceeded to gradually fade into a dull shade of pink.

Naruto just stared curiously at the other, thinking what the boy will do to him, nothing too detrimental he hoped.

That was until he saw a bright flash of white light, slowly coming out of the boy's hand.

"He- Hey! Hey! What're you doing?!" his started pulling out his foot, sending jolts of pain through his psych.

"Stop moving." Came the order, the boy not even once moving his sight from his task.

At first, Naruto thought of pulling away again, but thought better of it. He felt that the boy would not harm him, so he just stayed put and waited to see what would happen. To his great shock, once the white light touched his injured foot, the pain gradually lessened until it became a dull tingle.

Yuki panted for awhile, hoping to regain his breath, before setting to work again. He started to heal the boy's beaten body until one couldn't even tell if the boy was really injured or not, the only thing that could give away that fact was a few small faint scars throughout his body, but in time, it will eventually heal itself.

Curious, Yuki thought that the boy had more injuries, but as he scanned the blonde again, he couldn't find any more lesions. He tilted his head in confusion, before shrugging the thought.

After he had finished healing the boy, he was already breathing so hard, that he just downright lied on the ground.

"O-oi! Don't just lie there!"

Naruto panicked, so he helped the dark-haired boy get into the bench, and sat him down beside him.

"T-thank you" Naruto stuttered, after a moment of silence. "I-I mean, thank you for everything." He added, scratching the back of his head.

Yuki looked at the boy again and gazed at him for a moment, for some reason he couldn't take away his eyes from the boy and it confused him so much that his head started to hurt a bit.

Seeing the boy fidgeting slightly, a gentle smile broke forth in his face.

"No problem at all," Yuki said, smiling. "By the way, my name's Yuki, how about you?"

"My name?" the boy asked, hope and disbelief shining in his eyes. "You're asking for my name?"

"Of course!" he nodded, continually smiling. "You're my friend after all."

The boy's eyes widened and tears threatened to fall over, as he heard those words.

"F-friends?" the boy asked, voice shaking.

"Yes, friends," Yuki said, tilting his head. "After all, we are friends… right?" he added, concerned that the boy didn't want to do anything with him.

Sensing the boy's sincerity through those words, the blonde boy slowly smiled and let a few tears of happiness slip down his face.

"My name is Naruto," he said, smiling widely. "Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

…**R…**

* * *

_The sharp claws of dread grasped his heart._

'_No!'_

_With a quick slash of his katana, he felled down two assassins. Their blood splattered on the ground that was covered by a thin layer of snow._

'_No!'_

_A towering inferno burst from his body and shot through sky high as it continued to grow in diameter, alerting not only the entire compound, but also most shinobi that was present in Konoha as the deadly inferno lit up the night sky._

_The unrelenting blaze scorched the unfortunate fools who dared engage him in battle._

'_NO!'_

_A frightening roar of an enraged beast was heard as his summon, Behemoth, mercilessly crushed down the remaining assassins, splattering their vile blood against the pavements and walls inside the compound._

"_NO!"_

_Terror in its purest form threatened to swallow him whole as he saw the dark stain of a substance on the shoji doors of his son's room. The only source of light was the moon that was partially covered by the dark clouds. However, he would know the sight and smell of blood anywhere._

_Saieki burst into the room, ready to massacre and destroy every last bit of those fucking assassins that would dare harm his son._

_He froze in place as he caught sight of the scene in front of him._

_Assassins littered the floor, mutilated and disfigured beyond recognition._

_And there he was, sitting in the center of the pile of corpses._

_His son._

_Numbly, he walked towards The Boy, not caring for the corpses that he stepped on, nor the slippery substance of blood that was splattered all around the room. Once he got close to him, he knelt down in front of The Boy._

_The child continued to watch him with those piercing emerald eyes that glowed eerily against the darkness that surrounded them._

_Slowly, Saieki reached out and tenderly wiped the splatter of blood from his son's cheek._

_He proceeded to gently embrace his son and carried the child into his arms. He left the room and went out into the cold night sky._

_Saieki felt his son's attempt to burrow against him for warmth as the slow trickle of snow continued to fall around them. He tucked the ends of his Haori around his son and securely settled the child against his chest, effectively protecting him from the cold._

_With a soft patter of steps, Behemoth went and stood beside them, offering more warmth to his master and his scion._

_He quietly watched his child slowly drift into sleep, no doubt exhausted from the events._

_.._

"_Sleep well, Shindeiru Yuki."_

..

* * *

**A/N****:** First of all, this is NOT and will NEVER be a Yuki/Naruto, there's a reason for everything I write, so that means that there's a reason why Yuki and Naruto felt a _connection_ to each other. Just so we're clear.

By the way, if you still didn't get it, the scenes in Italics are all flashbacks.

Wow, first time where I had almost nothing to write in an author's note,… but yeah, since it's already 3:35am, I guess I'm just too sleepy to write anything here.

Many thanks to the following wonderful individuals:

**You know who you are, I'll start next chapter so that I'll know who to thank. :)**


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